On-demand staffing platform expands with new round of funding

Upshift, the leading on-demand staffing platform, has closed $3.7 million in Series A funding to expand its team and accelerate growth across the country.

Upshift’s smartphone- and web-based platform connects people looking for extra work or new jobs with understaffed employers in the hospitality and light industrial sectors, helping meet the nation’s high demand for temporary staffing solutions.

Tokyo based HR Tech giant, Recruit Holdings’ investment arm, HR Tech Investments LLC, led the funding round with participation from US based Rev1 Ventures and Data Point Capital.

“We look for companies that are not only disruptive playing in extremely big spaces and run by great management teams, but that are also innovatively raising the bar on the status quo.” said Scott Savitz, managing partner of Data Point Capital. “With aggressive triple-digit revenue growth, thousands of wonderful individuals joining their platform on a monthly basis, and a client list most companies would die for, we could not be more excited about Upshift’s future.”

People in 15 American cities in North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas rely on Upshift to find work that supports their needs and fits their schedules. There are now tens of thousands of employees using Upshift’s platform to find shifts at over 1,000 businesses ranging from medium-sized hotels to Fortune 500 companies.

Hyatt Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels, and Takeya are just a few of the many companies in the hospitality and light industrial sectors partnering with Upshift.

Unlike most gig economy companies, Upshift directly employs all those who work on its platform. This means that people working are covered by traditional employment relationships including workers’ compensation, unemployment and other employee protections. That also means Upshift’s business clients do not take on the liability typically associated with 1099 staffing models.

Upshift’s pre-screening process for employment is rigorous and includes an in-person interview with a staff member. Only 12% of those who apply to Upshift successfully complete the screening process.

This, combined with Upshift’s intuitive, easy-to-use technology and strict disciplinary policies, means over 95% of Upshifters successfully complete the shifts they commit to work. That’s more than double the industry standard for success.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Recruit as we continue to scale our product team here in Skopje” said Nikola Jordanosvki, Upshift Co-Founder and CTO “I’m glad that so many of our partners and Upshifters have found success with Upshift in the United States and proud to say that our product has been built entirely in Macedonia.”

About Upshift

America’s leading on-demand staffing platform, Upshift services the hospitality and light industrial sectors and helps connect people to both flexible and long-term work. Its industry-leading success rates of over 95% are more than double industry standards. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, Upshift helps connect people and businesses in 15 major metro markets.

About Recruit Holdings

Founded in 1960, Recruit creates and provides platforms that connect companies and consumers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Recruit is one of the largest internet media groups in the world with more than $15B in revenue and 200+ media businesses. Recruit has more than 45,000 employees and operates in more than 60 countries. Its holdings include Indeed, the world’s largest job site, Glassdoor, Simply Hired and Quandoo.